Hello and welcome to the Evening Brief Newsletter where we are wrapped in a deluge of stories and loving it.
Situational Awareness: As President William Ruto prepares to sign into law the Affordable Housing Bill 2023 tomorrow, my colleague Brian Casey dived into the twists and turns (and a few... well, many, rejections) the project suffered since its inception in June 2022.
Why Visit: This story provides granular coverage of every step in the bill's journey with stunning graphics.
Housekeeping: An edition of this newsletter appears on Kenyans.co.ke LinkedIn page, if your wish to get future editions in your email inbox, subscribe here.
Rejected at Home
President William Ruto and his deputy Rigathi Gachagua read the riot act at Rift Valley residents of Bomet and Kericho counties after they blatantly booed their respective governors in the duo's presence.
Clips that have since gone viral showed supporters of Bomet Governor Hillary Barchok and Senator Hillary Sing'ei three stones blocking roads just an hour before Ruto's arrival.
Over in Kericho, Governor Eric Mutai's speech, which was made in front of Ruto, was reduced to just one minute and promptly stopped, attracting an angry reaction from the Head of State.
What Ruto is Saying: "I do not want this kind of chaos in my meetings. United Democratic Alliance (UDA) is a party that embraces order. Allow the leaders to make their speeches and if they have not performed,
wait and deal with them in the next general election by voting them out. Please, allow the leaders to speak. After all, you are the ones who elected them in the last general election," he said regarding Bomet
"If you are not satisfied by the performance of some leaders, the only time to make your point known is during the election season, but not mid-term. Let the leaders serve their term and deal with them later," he said regarding Mutai.
Gachagua Ultimatum
Disdained by lack of respect for the President in his backyard, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua read the riot act to Rift Valley leaders asking them to stop the incessant wrangling and focus on service to the people.
He argued that the actions were shameful and turned Ruto into a laughing stock.
What Rigathi is Saying: "This infighting in the President’s backyard is very shameful. The people of the Rift Valley must not take the Presidency for granted. If the President has come to your country, he must be totally respected. The President’s meetings cannot be chaotic like we saw in Kericho and Bomet. We must be careful with the way we handle the Presidency. The only way to show the other people you appreciate their support is to respect the President."
Pointed guns: As a result of the weekend-long heckle instances, CS Kithure Kindiki launched a crackdown to track down financiers, organisers and hecklers at public events.
The CS directed Kericho County Commissioner Gabriel Kitiyo and his team to clamp down on the individuals behind the incidents.
“The security team is tasked to reign in on incidents of disorderly conduct in political meetings, conclude investigations and apprehend the organisers, financiers and perpetrators of hooliganism in the County, regardless of their political or social standing,” he stated.
The heckling signifies a slumping support for the ruling party in the region that delivered most of the votes that catapulted him to the Presidency. (Check Data Point below).
Data Point: Ruto's Rift Valley Votes
As Bomet and Kericho residents continue to demand for better services from their leaders, our Data Officer Adongo Kyalo looks back at the pivotal role Rift Valley played in catapulting President William Ruto into power.
The Numbers: The Rift Valley counties of Baringo, Bomet, Elgeyo-Marakwet, Kericho, Nandi, West Pokot and Uasin Gishu collectively contributed 1,602,807 votes towards his victory. He was declared the winner with 7,176,141 votes nationwide.
In Bomet, Ruto won 285,428 against Raila's 13,383. In Uasin Gishu, Ruto got 272,862 against Raila's 76,032 while in Kericho, Ruto won with 318,861 against Raila's 15,053.
Untenable Affordable Housing Dream
After fighting tooth and nail to realising the affordable housing project and its funding model, President William Ruto and his administration risk suffering another postponement, beyond the Tuesday, March 16, date for signing the Affordable Housing Bill into Law.
Catch Up Quick: Over the weekend, Press Secretary Emmanuel Talam sent out an invite to media houses, including Kenyans.co.ke, inviting journalists to attend the event expected to start at 8:00 am
On Monday morning, however, the State House sent out a communique indicating that the event had been postponed to Tuesday.
Omtatah Swoops In
In the interim, Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah moved to court to block the Head of State from assenting the Bill into Law.
He told my colleague, Senior Reporter Nyamasyo Kioko, in a phone interview that the petition he filed in the court of Law sought to block the bill's implementation.
“Yes, we are challenging it. We are in the final stages of preparing the petition," he stated.
National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung'wah, who sponsored the bill, revealed that the state expedited the signing of the bill to target March payslips. All salaried and non-salaried individuals will be expected to part with 1.5 per cent towards the project.
Tinina Farewell
A cloud of sorrow covered Kenya's media industry after news broke that journalism trailblazer Rita Tinina had passed away.
The family revealed that Tinina, who suffered from epilepsy and was treating a five-day fever prior to her passing, was found dead on the morning of Sunday. Efforts to resuscitate her were futile as medics pronounced her dead upon arrival at her house.
The journalist, who served as an editor at NTV, first raised eyebrows when she failed to turn up at the station for her shift during the 1:00 p.m. bulletin.
How Country mourned her: "Rita bailed me out once during my time at Citizen TV, helping me file a story when our equipment failed at an EAC Heads of State Summit in Arusha during Kibaki’s presidency. It was my first interaction with her, as she was already a household name in the media, while I was a rookie at the time. Nonetheless, she displayed grace then, as she always has. My condolences to friends and family," State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohamed
"My sincere condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Rita Tinina - a pioneer and a trailblazer in TV journalism," President William Ruto.
"From her earliest days at NTV, Rita's dedication to journalism left an indelible mark on Kenya's media landscape. Her passing leaves a void in the industry, yet her legacy of storytelling and integrity will endure," former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
"Team, this morning we received the sad news that our colleague Rita Tinina had passed away in her house. She was expected to be in the office today but did not show up. The information we have so far is that she was fine all of yesterday but unfortunately, was found unresponsive this morning. The family has requested privacy at this difficult time. This is indeed a tragic development and I request us to be calm as we await more information," NMG Managing Director Joe Ageyo to the newsroom.
"I am who I am because I stood on her shoulders while at NTV. Go well my darling. Rita Tinina, the hand that held mine and never let go. I am broken," Former KTN News anchor Lindah Oguttu.
Here are 5 other stories keeping us on edge today;
1.The Kenyan Shilling continues to shine against the dollar on the back of dollar inflows and importer demands.
2. Fed-up Kenyans write an appeal to Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu seeking a ban on trophy-hunting, which is likely to derail a 30-year agreement.
3. The Ministry of Health bows to pressure from doctors, begins posting interns.
4. Narok Governor Patrick Ole Ntutu and Senator Ledama Ole Kina clash during an Interdenominational Prayer Service attended by President Ruto.
5. Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen sues Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei following a bitter fallout.
This newsletter was written by Derrick Kubasu and edited by Brian Muuo.
Washington Mito contributed to the content.
Graphics prepared by Adongo Kyalo
